The Duke Department of Pediatrics' training program is based on developing pediatric Junior Faculty into physician-scientists who are skilled in cutting-edge methods of laboratory research and who will pursue independent academic careers investigating important issues related to childhood diseases. Our program is based on our pool of outstanding candidates, a strong curriculum of didactic courses, experienced mentors who perform state-of-the-art research, and an excellent research environment. Our commitment to develop future academic pediatricians is evidenced by the academic success of our Junior Faculty. Our Principal Investigator is Dr. Joseph St. Geme, III, Chairman of the Department who is assisted by Dr. Page Anderson, Program Director, Dr. Delbert Wigfall, Minority Recruitment Advisor, and an Internal and External Advisory Committee. Four young scholars will be supported each year. They will be drawn primarily from our fellows and Junior Faculty. Recruitment of underrepresented minorities is a focus of the program. Our faculty, which includes many mentors from other Departments; have strong track records in research, funding, and mentoring . Our research training centers are in the areas of Developmental Biology, Cell Biology and Cell Signaling, Microbiology and Immunology, and Genetics, Genomics, and Proteomics. Didactic courses, including a multi-lecture course on writing, will complement the laboratory research experiences, enabling the trainees to write and submit grant applications to support their career. The trainees will be required to take a five lecture course in Responsible Conduct of Research. The young Scholars will have access to all the research resources of the NCI-funded Comprehensive Cancer Center, the shared facilities at Duke University, the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, and the Center for Human Genetics.